www.thepowerteam.com

   In "Biblical times" it was common for people to perform miraculous fetes in the name of one's god(s) or church. The more powerful the god the more powerful the fete. This was known as Charismata. Churches that are apart of the Charismatic movement believe in the manifestations of the holy spirit, that is, the Charismata of old today. Some examples of this is deliverance and speaking in "tongues." By achieving these, for lack of better words, unique characteristics, these individuals and organizations are able to sway followers into their herd.
   The Power Team is an organization body builders whose claim to fame is their charismatic abilities of strength. They travel to various churches performing amazing physical fetes, like breaking bricks and bending bars, in the name of Christianity. This Power Team preaches that their abilities come from their belief in God, despite the immense training I'm sure their prowess entails. Unfortunately for them, the Shaolin Monks (and numerous others) have been performing these same spectacles and much more for the past forty years. Does this mean that I should be swayed to Buddhism because of their more powerful charismata?
   All of this relates back to the same psychodrama I have spoken of before. People believe they are filled with the presence of the holy spirit and start spouting out gibberish. By giving it a name doesn't make it any less ridiculous. True, Pagans are known to speak spells and ceremonies in different languages and even some Roman Catholics give service in Latin, but these are official and learned languages, not made up. Likewise, being able to break a brick with your hand requires physical and mental training, a state of psychosomatic presence that allows for your breakable body to become very unbreakable. Don't get me wrong, these fetes are still amazing, but understand the science behind it, and perhaps the spiritualism... just remove the religious mumbo-jumbo already.

(image from cnho.wordpress.com)
  I watched the movie UFO-The Greatest Story Ever Denied by Jose Escamilla with my wife the other night. I found the movie entertaining and interesting with plausible evidence to the existence of Aliens on Earth. However, the thing that caught my eye immediately were these things called "Rods," "Air Rods," or "Roswell Rods." Scientists are unsure exactly what they are and one has never been caught. But along with other possible UFOs or creatures, they have been caught numerous times on video and in stills. Now the rod, as pictured above, appears to be a shaft with fin/wing type appendages coming off of it and it gyrates through the air at remarkable speeds. These objects are also somewhat transparent and cannot be seen by the naked eye. Skeptics have unsuccessfully attempted to debunk these creatures, like so many other "spottings."
  No one is quite sure what these objects are. Some believe that they're alien probes, others believe they're some sort of unexplainable electromagnetic malfunction with equipment (oddly enough paranormal teams are accustomed to electromagnetic disturbances during supposed hauntings). Jose Escamilla believes them to be living creatures that we have yet to identify, along with numerous moving circular or amoeba like creatures that have been caught on NASA footage. Little else is declared about these Rods and Escamilla doesn't like to speculate too much about what he really does not know. In the video the first one I saw had what looked like three sets of "wings" and it flew across the screen, spun and darted off into the distance. The first word that popped into my head was "Seraphim," which is a title for a certain rank of angel in different mythologies. The main account that I'm aware of, the Seraphim are believe to have six wings, two that cover their face, two that cover their feet, and two I guess for flying. So the Rod doesn't exactly look like that, but is it possible that ancient civilizations where aware of these creatures and made up a mystical story about them like they have so many other things?
   The movie itself is far from new, but it is enjoyable as I had earlier stated and I'd recommend you all to see it. The director, Jose Escamilla, made the movie for free in an attempt to inform the public. He is also working on his next movie specifically on these Rods called Roswell Rods. I can't wait! Escamilla is also taking donations for the movie at his site roswellrods.com to help cover the expenses of filming. If you're as intrigued by this as I am, please check out his site.

References: roswellrods.com, The Cryptid Zoo

   Do you lay awake at night in trepidation over the age old riddle of which came first, the chicken or the egg? Well, I don't either, and honestly I haven't spent much time pondering what I always considered more of a koan than a debate. However, scientists in the UK used a super-computer named HECToR (High End Computing Terascale Resource) to study how eggs are produced due to the shell's remarkable durability and the similarities between shell, teeth and bones. The scientists, led by Dr. Colin Freeman, were able to use HECToR's results to study the process in greater detail. What the scientists found is that a protein found only in chickens (their ovaries more specifically), ovocledidin-17 or OC-17, is crucial to the egg's formation. Due to this discovery, and much more complicated details about the process, the egg would have had to have been created inside of the chicken, meaning the chicken came first. Wow, now I can sleep again.

Interested in reading more? See the article at DailyTech: The Chicken or the Egg.

7/26 Sleipnir’s Day: Aid with Meditational Journeys

Even if you are not familiar with the Norse Pantheon, most likely you have heard of Odhinn, the All-Father. Odhinn is the Shaman-King that travels through the three worlds on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir. These three worlds are known to the Norse and Celts as the Upperworld (Asgard to the Norse and the Sky/Star World to the Celts), the Middleworld (our world that we call Earth; Midgard to the Norse and Surface/Stone World to the Celts) and the Underworld (Utgard to the Norse and the Ocean/Sea World to the Celts).

Sleipnir could run on land, sea or air, which are the three worlds or three realms of the Tree of Life or World Tree of the Celts and Norse. The name for the World Tree among the Norse was Yggdrasil; “Yggr” being one of the names for Odhinn and “drassil” meant both “horse” and “gallows”. Sacrifices to Odhinn were hung on gallows, another version of the World Tree.

Another symbol associated with the shaman-horse Sleipnir is the Rune Eh (M) which means “horse”. “Eh” propels the soul through the Otherworlds, the other spheres of consciousness, so you can call upon his aid with meditation and journeys. Horses were considered sacred to the Norse and horses the color of cloud-gray were said to be one of the methods of travel for the Valkyries. Perhaps you could instill the aid of a Valkyries for your Otherworld journeys as well? The rune Eh can signify a mutual partnership as well as transitional movement, so it is not out of the question to be able to work with Sleipnir or the Valkyries.

July 26th is the day set aside by the Asutru to commemorate the death-steed Sleipnir.

THE SPELL:

This is a very simple spell to help you with your meditations. Many people struggle with meditating, so calling in a little extra help never hurts. If you are already familiar with meditation and journeying, then Sleipnir will be able to take you swiftly (he has eight legs after all) through the worlds and levels of consciousness, enhancing your meditation experiences.

If possible, do this spell and meditation outside with a real-life tree. If this is not possible die to weather or lack or privacy, then simply sit indoors and use your visualizing skills to imagine the World Tree before you.

Supplies: offering to Sleipnir (a nice offering for Sleipnir would be something that a horse would eat, perhaps some sugar cubes would be a nice treat? You need not place your offering at the gallows, instead the base of a tree would work just fine.). Offering to the tree (again, think of what a tree needs; perhaps some fertilizer or water to aid in its growth?).

Stand at a tree with your offering and say:

“I call to Odhinn’s eight-legged steed:

In hand I have _____ for you to feed.”

Place the offering at the base of the tree and say:

“I place this offering here at the Tree

In hopes of the partnership between you and me.”

Sit with your back propped up against the trunk of the tree. Mentally connect to the spirit of the tree and let it know that you wish to make a partnership so you can meditate and travel the three worlds of the World Tree. To show the spirit of the tree that you have good intentions, place your offering at the roots. If you wish, you can also draw the Rune Eh (shaped similarly to the capital letter “M”) in the air or on the ground to seal your “compact:” with the tree.

Now, simply begin your meditation. If it helps, visualize yourself riding on the back of Sleipnir, his gray mane flowing in the air, the hooves making a rhythmic sound that takes you deeper and deeper into a relaxed state. State the purpose of your meditation; what answers do you seek? Ask the Universe your question so you and Sleipnir can find the answers. Say:

“Shaman Steed of air, land and sea,

As I sit here beneath this tree;

Move me through the worlds of three,

Aid me on my shamanic journey.”

Close your eyes and go ahead with your meditation. When you come back to normal consciousness, move your fingers and toes, stretch and come to standing. Thank the tree and say:

“Cloud-Gray horse of the Valkyries,

Thank you for aiding my journeys.

Together we worked magick well

And this concludes my magick spell.

Stay if you will, and go if you must;

In perfect love and perfect trust.

By the power of threes times three,

As my will, so mote it be.”

SOURCES:

Animal Magick by DJ Conway

Pagan Book of Days by Nigel Pennick

Rune Mysteries by Silver RavenWolf and Nigel Jackson

Tree of Enchantment: Ancient Wisdom and Magic Practices of the Faery Tradition by Orion Foxwood

  Recently I had the honor of meeting with author and paranormal investigator Todd Clements. He was a wonderful individual that I really enjoyed talking with and we traded books. His book goes with the tours he leads in Mackinac called Haunts of Mackinac. Since then I have read his book and found it incredibly fascinating. He covers numerous different legends and paranormal sightings all around Mackinac. When I was reading through them I couldn't believe not only how many stories he was able to report, but the details he was able to include were fantastic. My personal favorite tale was that of Private James Brown, a soldier who "accidentally" murdered his superior officer. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially if you're interested in the paranormal or local history (local for Michiganders, that is), and everyone should be aware of the mischievous dwarf fairies. The book is complete with an introductory description of the different types of phenomena as defined by Todd (and most other paranormalists). For those of you in book clubs, frequent readers, or those who need sometime to relax, I'd recommend picking up Todd Clements Haunts of Mackinac as your next book of choice and if you ever get up to Mackinac Island yourself, join him on one of his tours and experience the legends for yourself!

Check out his link at HauntsOfMackinac.com.